The Liquid Muse Cocktail Club Does Absinthe: Don’t Believe The Voodoo

I’m always excited when The Liquid Muse cocktail club meets – there’s always fun people to meet and new things to learn. When I heard, though, that the next meeting would be over absinthe, I was especially ecstatic. I knew nothing of absinthe but the tales and lore of the just recently unbanned liquor. Was I going to turn crazy? Start hallucinating?

Well, I did know that it did resemble licorice, but we won’t exactly call that a head start. My mind was wide open to take the absinthe lesson in. And besides, the event took place at Bar Keeper, one of my top spots for gifting. I have given many a bridal shower, wedding and even birthday gift from the Sunset Junction shop (“break-resistent” glassware for that accident-prone best friend, anyone? Or Paris and Nicole’s faces superimposed on Jesus and Mary on a flask? Space invader-shaped silicone ice cube trays? They got it.).

St. George (American), La Clandestine (Swiss), Lucid (French)

The event was sponsored by Lucid – a 124 proof French absinthe that was actually “reverse-engineered” from a formula that is 100 years old. In it, you will get essences of sweet fennel and green anise. And guess what – it will take you 3 bottles of the stuff to hallucinate, contrary to what you may have heard about absinthe. And absinthe is simply achieved by steeping herbs in alcohol distillate – nothing voodoo about that. The irony is that it was once very popular during a very bad draught for the vineyards. People liked absinthe because it didn’t give them the hangover that other spirits did, but when the wine industry “came back” there were a lot of rumors created around absinthe for purposes of eliminating the competition.

The Lucid representative noted that in preparation, a typical pour would be 1 part absinthe to 2 – 2.5 parts water. The water, when poured into the absinthe, opens it up and allows the essences of wormwood, anise, fennel and beets to breathe. The sugar cube laid on the spoon between the water pour and absinthe makes the drink sweeter and a tad easier to put down.

We tried the Lucid, first – and then we got to try La Clandestine, which is actually a Swiss absinthe and instead of the light green that Lucid was, it was clear and 106 proof. It was interesting to see the pour turn from clear to a milky white. After La Clandestine we got to try an American absinthe called St. George – a dark blend of absinthe that I probably liked the least. I could taste a lot more wormwood and some mint; the Lucid rep had said this was a type of “modernized” absinthe.

Absinthe glass with spoon & sugar cube

We were told that the tales of absinthe lore, ironically, come from Czechoslovakia – where you can find the worst quality absinthe in the world. Contrary to what you may have heard about flashy absinthe experiences, you are never to burn the sugar and it is always meant to be enjoyed with water. There are a lot of additives in Czech absinthe as well as distracting flourishesÂ such asÂ the burning of sugarÂ infused into the entire absinthe presentation. Don’t get fooled; absinthe is an enjoyable experience but not one necessarily tied to a whole lot of hocus pocus some might have you believe. There also exists very prominent brands of absinthe *cough* that perhaps shouldn’t be – the hype of which is financiered with an electric green color to match (read: tons of additives). You might also be able to findÂ the bad stuffÂ served on your Virgin America flight. *wink*

But wait – how did (high-quality) absintheÂ actually make meÂ feel? No – I wasn’t hallucinating and you know, I honestly really enjoyed the lightness drinking absinthe gave me. I wouldn’t even call it a buzz as with alcohol; it was herbal andÂ very lightweight. I would drink “the good stuff” any time, any time of day (ok, almost). Though the herbal taste is not for everyone,Â I found it delightful once my palate had acclimated.